1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wiring and piping arrangement for a vehicle motor used in an electric automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, in view of environmental problems, electric automobiles have been extensively developed. One type uses wheel motors wherein each motor is directly connected to a corresponding wheel through a reduction gear. Since this type employs driving sources which are respectively associated with individual wheels, each wheel can pivot through 90 degrees both in the right and left directions with respect to the straight advance direction, and thus can provide advantageous functions such as a small turning radius and parallel movement.
For actuating the wheel motors, a battery and a control device on a vehicle body are connected to the motors through power wirings and control wirings, and hydraulic conduits are connected to the wheel motors for braking the wheel motors by means of a brake pedal provided in the vehicle. In the prior art, these wires and hydraulic conduits extended from rear surfaces of the wheel motors through a lower part of the body to an upper part of the body.
However, the arrangement, in which the wires and hydraulic conduits extended from the rear surfaces of the wheel motors through the lower part of the body to the upper part of the body, created a problem that it required extra lengths of the wirings and conduits to allow the wheels move laterally and vertically. This problem is particularly evident where the wheels are adapted to pivot through 90 degrees in both the right and left directions with respect to the straight advance direction. Moreover, the wirings and/or conduits having extra lengths may cause a problem by interference with the suspension and/or contact with the road surface when the wheels are in the straight ahead positions. In order to prevent such problems, the wirings and conduits must be supported by appropriate means such as elastic hooks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a wiring and conduit arrangement for a vehicle motor, overcoming the above noted problems, in which the wheel motor wiring and conduits are not required to have extra lengths, and thus neither interfere with the suspension nor contact with the road surface.